Chapter 365: Deal

Chapter 365: Deal
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Liu Xing was a sharp-looking man, with meticulous thoughts. Jiang Xia secretly thought to herself that she indeed made the right choice in helping him. Even these little details revealed that Liu Xing was a man who would repay kindness. Perhaps in the future, he might be of help to the Jiang family. Now that Liu Xing had agreed, Jiang Xia wouldn’t push her luck further. They settled on the market rate: two jar of pickles in exchange for one two and a half kilos of charcoal and an additional 5 kilos of flour. With these in hand, she could account for her activities when she returned home.
Furthermore, Jiang Xia had already decided that when collecting pickles from the neighbors, she mustn’t reveal that the township supply and marketing cooperative was buying them. She would simply say her family was collecting them.
The matter of charcoal wasn’t something to be discussed openly. The fewer people who knew, the better. Otherwise, it would just be inviting trouble.
To Xiao Li, the price wasn’t the concern. He originally hadn’t expected to successfully trade for charcoal, but to his surprise, Liu Xing had eventually agreed.
With charcoal in hand, everything else became secondary. Even if Xiao Li was given only half kilos of flour, he would be happy.
On the way home, Xiao Li was ecstatic, knowing that his family would soon have charcoal to use. He couldn’t stop singing praises of Jiang Xia.
“Xiao Xia, I didn’t expect you to be so clever. Third Brother Jiang truly raised a good daughter! Bringing you along was far better than coming alone. Even though you’re young, you’re already making decisions for the family. When you grow up, you’ll certainly make a great wife.”
However, Jiang Xia didn’t appreciate such praise. She was a girl educated with modern ideals. Her life goals weren’t limited to just marrying and bearing children. She had her own aspirations! She wanted to realize her own value, not just grow up and get married casually.
But one couldn’t blame Xiao Li for his narrow-mindedness. Given the era he lived in, that’s all many could aspire to. Even in modern times, many elders remain stuck in their conservative mindsets, resistant to modern ideologies. Only by witnessing the prosperity and strength of a new society can people’s ideas progress. This was destined to be a slow process.
By the time they got home, it was already afternoon. Xiao Li and Zhou Lan discussed the details of making pickles and the required ingredients. Zhou Lan then went with him to his house.
Considering that Xiao Li and Jiang Xia hadn’t eaten lunch, Zhou Lan also brought along some wild vegetable pancakes she made earlier. Leaving only Jiang Xia and Jiang Gu at home.
In winter, the sun set early. By six in the evening, it would usually be pitch dark. Jiang Xia estimated that by the time Zhou Lan and Jiang Chuan returned, it would be nightfall.
Jiang Xia suddenly remembered the ribs Shen Mo gave her. With all the excitement about the pickles yesterday, she had forgotten about the delicious ribs she had kept in storage. That was really careless of her.
It was an opportune time, with Zhou Lan not around, and no time to prepare dinner. Why not cook a sumptuous meal for the family herself?
Back in modern times, Jiang Xia was very picky about food. If something didn’t taste right, she would refuse to eat it after a single bite. To tempt Jiang Xia to eat, Zhou Lan would try various dishes and even studied a cookbook.
Jiang Xia had read that cookbook and remembered some recipes and ingredient quantities. Plus, she was accustomed to Zhou Lan’s cooking, so she was familiar with the tastes. With these in mind, preparing a meal wasn’t a challenge for her.
Jiang Xia shared her idea with Jiang Gu, but the chubby-faced kid immediately shook her head, “Mom said kids aren’t allowed to light fires on their own. You’re still a kid, so you can’t secretly start a fire either!”
She almost forgot that Jiang Gu was a very obedient child, only listening to Zhou Lan. If Zhou Lan said not to start a fire, she would obey.
In that era, kitchens didn’t use natural gas or induction cooktops but stoves that required wood or coal fires.
Jiang Xia found it challenging even to light wood for the fire, let alone control its intensity. However, Jiang Gu, who spent every day by Zhou Lan’s side helping her cook, was adept at managing the fire.
To properly cook a meal, Jiang Xia truly couldn’t do without Jiang Gu..